Moments that made them
by dllover
Summary: A compilation of the moments that made Danny and Lindsay the great couple that they are. A few minor swear words, one major, some references to sex. Rated to be safe. Please r&r :


The Moments that Made Us

A short compilation of moments that brought Danny and Lindsay together, and how each one affected their relationship.

Disclaimer: I own neither CSI, nor any if its characters.

_He told her to call Mac 'Sir'. - - - _Just his way of letting her know that she was the new girl, she was Aiden's replacement, and she was gonna have to learn to survive in the big city.

_'Montana' - - - _Country girl. He never could have imagined how much of an effect this particular country girl would have. She could never have imagined that she would begin to like, and even love this particular nickname.

_She beat him at processing evidence - - - _A small victory, but a victory none the less. She would never forget the look on his face, and it was in that moment that she knew she was ready for this job. I t was also the moment that he realised she was a force to be reckoned with.

_He held her hand slightly too long when explaining a theory, and asked her (unsuccessfully) to lunch - - - _He hadn't meant it like that, he was just trying to explain his theory. It wasn't his fault her hand fit so damn well into his! And she hadn't meant to pull her hand back so abruptly. The whole thing had thrown her and the lunch date (if that's what it even was) was totally unexpected. That had been one awkward car ride back to the lab...

_She wore **that** dress - - - _She couldn't deny it, the way he did a double take and looked at her in that dress had sent tingles through her body. Of course, the way she looked in the dress sent tingles through a very specific part of his body. If they hadn't been at a crime scene, on a railway track with Mac standing two feet away, his mind would undoubtedly gone somewhere highly inappropriate.

_She got jealous at the girl flirting with him - - - _She reasoned that it was merely professionalism that made her clear his throat. They were investigating a murder and that girl was looking at him like she wanted to rip his shirt off. His incredibly tight fitting, flattering shirt. Damn it. He didn't even register the girl. He was too busy trying to decipher the look in her eyes.

_She invited him to Cozy's to see Mac - - - _He should have known it wasn't a date. Her mysterious smile should have alerted to him to the fact that she was up to something but there was no harm in hoping, right? That's why he spent half and hour getting ready and was consequently ten minutes late. She didn't even think about how their meeting could be misconstrued until he turned up and gave her that 'Messer smile' and she realised that she had butterflies. They both realised that night that they had a really good time in each others company.

_The bug dinner - - - _He shouldn't have bet against her, as she had already proved herself very capable of surprising him. Neither of them should have been quite so pleased when Mac, Stella, Flack and Hawkes left them alone. But they both were.

_She asked him to carry her across a rooftop, despite him being on a different case, and he asked for drinks and dinner - - - _She could have asked Flack. Or Hawkes. Or any of the various lab techs assigned to the case. But when she grabbed her phone she found herself automatically dialling Danny's number. She was impressed by his strength and nearly found herself agreeing to his request for dinner. Instead she did what she always did when things between them got too intense – she made a joke. He had to fight with himself not to appear too eager when she asked him for a favour. It felt surprisingly right with her in his arms, and he almost didn't want to put her down.

_Phone sex - - - _She just wanted to find out what the attraction was to try and see if it gave any hints to her case. Of course, that didn't mean she didn't enjoy the look on his face when she asked if anonymous calls turned him on. He nearly fell off his chair when she brought it up and had to stop his mind from going to an extremely dirty place. Their flirting was getting more and more intense each day and the tension was increasing between them.

_He 'proposed' after learning she likes football - - - _He didn't mean to say it. It just, kinda, slipped out. Finding out a girl was into football was like finding the last golden ticket as far as he was concerned. She knew he was kidding obviously but it still gave her butterflies. It didn't help that he looked so damn good all the time.

_She went straight to him after finding incriminating evidence against him - - - _She took a huge professional risk and they both knew it. If one of the higher ups found out, or if Mac had come down hard on her, she could have lost her job. But she couldn't betray him like that. The Danny Messer she knew wasn't capable of cold blooded murder, and she had to give him the chance to explain. And he appreciated that more than she would ever know.

_He helped her deal with Stella's ordeal - - - S_he shouldn't have lost it in front of a suspect like that, but the thought of something so awful happening to one of her friends again – it was too much to handle. He was so sweet to her, calming her down, not prying or judging her, just being there for here. His first priority was to make sure she was o.k, everything else just blurred into the background. He knew he was getting into dangerous territory but he didn't care.

_'Have you ever even seen a wheat field?' - - - _He'd been so proud to show her the New York skyline, in his mind one of the beautiful sights he'd ever seen. The wheat fields comment had been a last minute add on, the first comparison he could think of. And in one sentence she shot him, and his skyline, down completely. That was one of the many things that both infuriated and fascinated him about her – she wasn't afraid of calling him out. She thought the look on his face was absolutely priceless. When she heard him mumble dejectedly 'What's there to see? It's just wheat' she almost felt sorry for the guy. She loved his patriotism for 'his' city, but that didn't mean she could defend her own territory now did it? After all, he was the one who kept calling her 'Montana'.

_Sid 'outed' Danny's crush - - -_ For an older, and sometimes fairly creepy guy, Sid could be very astute in his observations. Even though her and Danny obviously had a vibe between them, to have Sid outright say it was more than a little embarrassing for her. She could feel the blush rising up her cheeks, and the small smile on her face refusing to go away.

_He was concerned about her being injured in the bomb blast - - - _Of course he was worried about Mac and Flack. Of course he was concerned about the civilians involved. Of course he wanted to find the bomber. But when he saw her through the chaos, frantically trying to call Mac and with a great big gash on her forehead, he swears his heart stopped for a second,, and his instincts told him to pick her up and carry her away to safety. She was more concerned with contacting Mac, and nearly missed the look of worry and fear in Danny's eyes when he saw her head wound. Although she would later dismiss it as an adrenaline rush, her heart skipped a beat when she saw him running towards her.

_She went undercover against his wishes. - - - _She knew it was dangerous. He knew it was dangerous. Even Flack and Stella knew it was dangerous. But neither Flack nor Stella had such a look of determination in their eyes. Lindsay's, a determination to save the hostage. Danny's, a determination to prevent Lindsay from coming to any harm. When he told her it wasn't her job, he knew he was being hypocritical, as he had taken enough stupid unnecessary risks to last a lifetime, but the thought of her getting hurt made his stomach twist in a way that was more than professional concern.

_He ran to save her when she was 'made' by the diamond thieves.- - - _She hadn't been this scared in a long time. With the gun pointed in her face, she acted on instinct. When the smoke bomb had gone off she curled up in the corner with the third 'Holly' and waited for help. When she heard Danny calling her name through the smoke she had never felt so relieved. Ignoring all thoughts in her head about professionalism, emotional tangles and common sense she let him embrace her and pressed herself as tight as she could against him, letting herself feel safe in his arms. He was pretty sure he had broken some sort of world record running from the van to the flat. After checking the situation in record time, he let Flack and Stella arrest the suspects, and focused solely in finding Lindsay. His heart was beating so hard it almost hurt and when he saw her huddled against the wall, hands over her ears, it took all his will power not to grab her and kiss her right there. Instead, he settled for holding her tight and doing his best to reassure her that she was o.k.

_She stood him up - - - _Oh God, oh God, oh God she felt awful. But she couldn't do it, not whilst the stuff in Montana was still unresolved. She knew she couldn't be in a full relationship with him until she shed her emotional baggage. She wished she had never said yes to the date. Maybe the only way to stop Danny pursuing her was to firmly and resolutely push him away. He waited. And waited. And waited. He was surprised his phone didn't crash the amount of times he checked it. He could see the other people in the restaurant looking at him. He assumed there had been an emergency, so didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed that she was at the crime scene, already processing, later giving the particularly vague explanation of 'something came up. Sorry'.

_He tried to ask her out again (unsuccessfully) - - - _He was perfectly aware of how desperate he was sounding, but at that point he was past caring. He knew he hadn't been imagining the tension between them the past couple of months, and he wasn't going to give up. She really wished he wasn't wearing such a tight shirt, it was very distracting. Rather than answer his question she buried herself in work, using it as a cover, like always.

_She told him she cannot be with him - - - _She could barely hold it together, telling him she couldn't be with him. He looked so sad and she felt that a complete jerk for rejecting him. She even gave him the 'It's not you, it's me' line. He couldn't understand it. She liked him, but couldn't date him? And he was left standing in the hallway, confused and alone.

_She left a card instead of saying goodbye - - - _She couldn't say goodbye in person, it was too hard, and she couldn't face the questions he was bound to ask. She knew a note seemed impersonal, but she also hoped he would understand. He was hurt at first when he learnt she had gone, but as soon as he saw the card, he couldn't help but smile. She even signed it 'Montana'. He knew from that alone, that she hadn't forgotten him. God, he was gonna miss her.

_He flew to Montana to support her and they almost shared a kiss - - - _'Go with your instincts'. That was what he had done, and he was glad he did. When he had walked into that courtroom, the look on her face made the whole horrendous flight worth it. Stella had filled him in on the bare basics, but hearing Lindsay describe her ordeal broke his heart. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw him come through the door. All those times she had pushed him away, and he still flew halfway across the country to support her. After her time on the witness stand, she sat with him, holding his hand, not talking, just sitting. After the guilty verdict was announced she felt as if a great weight had been lifted. Pulling him towards her, she got closer and closer to his lips when *FLASH*. Damn cameras.

_Snow Day - - - _Oh. My. God. He couldn't believe his luck. After his impromptu trip to Montana, their flirting had returned full force, and when he invited her over for a game of pool, he could barely contain his excitement when she agreed. She looked amazing in a tight black tank top and jeans. When she suggested the tequila he hesitated, not wanting her to get get drunk, and not in control of her actions, but the fact that she was kicking his ass at pool showed she was more than in control. He could see a look in her eyes that he had never seen before, and when she pressed up against him, demanding her prize, he nearly bust a load. Her lips, her skin, her _amazing _body, he couldn't process the array of emotions and hormones that were surging through his body. Afterwards, he grabbed a blanket and held her close, wanting to feel her, to convince himself it wasn't a dream. Trapped later in the storage room by the Irish mob, it was the thought of Lindsay that kept him going, kept him strong. When he was rescued and she apologised, he would have laughed had it not hurt so much – did she not understand that he would have taken twice as hard a beating to protect her. When she picked out the outfit she was going to wear, she knew in her heart that tonight was more than just a regular date. This feeling was confirmed when she suggested tequila shots. When she beat him at pool, and he tried to get out of paying the $100, she knew what to do. She never imagined it would feel so good, so passionate and so...perfect. It was by far the best sex she had ever had, and waking up with Danny was great. Waking up a second time, without him – not so great, at least until she found the note. When she heard about the hostage situation she felt physically sick. Her relief at seeing him alive was mixed with her guilt. Later in the hospital, before falling asleep from the drugs they had given him, he held her hand and told her he would do it again, just to protect her. That's when she began to realise she was falling hard for Danny Messer.

_She demonstrated the condom spray - - - _The look on his face was priceless. She could practically see him trying to work out if she was serious or not, and if she was – was he actually gonna spray that stuff on his...'special area'. He was torn – risk having German condom spray stuck on his junk permanently, or miss out on kinky sex...that woman would be the death of him, but quite frankly he didn't care. I mean, what a way to go!

_She complimented his bravery saving Hawkes - - - _She hadn't even been done there, and she was freaking out the entire time. She knew he was just being modest, but she would never understand how calm he could be in these situations. She wasn't one to play the damsel in distress, but she knew he would always save her, even when she didn't need him to. He hadn't really panicked until it was over, but even then he didn't want her to know he'd been afraid. Yes, it was stupid and macho of him, but he needed her to see him as someone who would protect her, even if she didn't need it.

_They argued over super cars - - - _She didn't even care which car was better, mainly because they were both fictional! She just enjoyed these moments, the comfortable bickering, no drama or secrets, just them having fun. She thought he was so cute when he was defending something he loved, be it the Batmobile, or his favourite football team, he would think up every argument possible to prove his point. As demonstrated by the sudden addition of a field forensics kit in the Batmobile's trunk. He, on the other hand, really did care which car was better.

_He believed her when she said she was attacked in the creepy house.- - - _She knew what she saw, and felt on her arm when that crazy old lady scratched her. And when that cop suggested she was imagining things, she nearly slugged him. For Gods sake, she was a CSI, she wasn't exactly squeamish or easily spooked. But then, Danny once again displayed his incredible skill of calming her down with just a few words. He knew that if she said she saw something, then something was there. He would have reamed out that cop, but he was preoccupied with calming Lindsay down – he hated seeing her upset.

_She told him he has love-handles and proved her skill at using slingshots. - - - _She loved teasing him, particularly about his body, mainly because he would then spent the rest of the night proving to her that he was in fact, in peak physical condition. The sling shot was just a subtle reminder that she could, in fact, kick his ass in more things than he realised. He relished their teasing, even if it was directed at him and god damn that slingshot thing was sexy!

_Ruben Sandoval died - - - _He'd dealt with death before – it was his job. He'd even experienced those close to him getting hurt, what with Louie and Flack. But this was different. Ruben was in his care, he should have watched over him, protected him. Deep down, he knew that the shooting was not his fault but the gnawing feeling of guilt was overwhelming and it felt like he was slowly loosing control. She wanted to help him. She just didn't know how. He was distant and closed off and blaming himself for events beyond his control. She knew what that felt like, more than most, but still she didn't know how to reach him and she was worried if he slipped too far, she might not be able to get him back.

_She covered for him at work - - - _She hated lying to Mac. Hell, she hated lying full stop. Particularly when she didn't know why she was lying. She had no idea where Danny was, what he was doing, who he was with. She even sent Flack off to track him down she was so worried. He didn't even realise she had saved his ass (and possibly his job) until Mac asked if he was feeling better, and he hoped the flu medicine worked. He didn't even ever thank her.

_He forgot her birthday - - - _She didn't expect a big extravagant party. She didn't expect a big present. She didn't even want a fuss. However, she_ did _expect her _boyfriend _to fucking remember it!!! He didn't even register until Stella grabbed him the next day and told him to pull his head out of his ass and think about Lindsay. He tried to apologise but in his usual manner, ended up making it worse. He was a jerk. That, they both agreed on.

_He cheated on her with Rikki Sandoval - - - _He cheated. There was nothing left to be said.

_She told him she loved him - - - _She hadn't planned on that little speech. She definitely hadn't planned on telling him she loved him. It was just his completely nonchalant attitude towards her and their relationship – if that's what it even was any more – that made her so angry and sad at the same time, it just came out. She didn't expect a declaration of love back, particularly as she had sprung it on him so suddenly, but it still hurt when he didn't reply. He didn't know what to say. He never thought someone like her could ever really love him, particularly when he had been such an ass. He'd stuffed up, and his silence after her outburst confirmed it. He was Danny Messer, eternal bachelor, no good at serious relationships. So why did it feel like someone had kicked him in the gut when she walked away?

_They talked during her rain walk - - - _He couldn't believe the lengths that that cheerleader had gone to to get revenge on a guy for calling her fat! It was so petty and selfish. It also made him realise that dwelling on things eventually meant they would consume you. He couldn't let that happen, especially if it meant losing Lindsay. He didn't know what he expected to happen when he rang her, but he needed to tell her how he felt, in his own half-assed way. When she told him he was hard to love, he only heard one word – Love. And he was man enough to admit that it made his heart beat that little bit faster. She couldn't help but smile every time she saw that stupid picture of him on her phone. She smiled even harder when he told her he missed her. He wasn't exactly one for talking about emotions, and she knew it took a lot for him to say that. But, still, she was unsure. Unsure about whether she could trust him, unsure about whether he meant it. When she climbed into the cab and the driver asked for the address she hesitated, before giving Danny's address. He was her addiction, and she couldn't give up on him. At least not without hearing what he had to say.

_She told him she was pregnant - - - _He probably could have handled that better. Hell, he couldn't have handled it much worse. He had thought of a million reasons why Lindsay would firstly, lie to him, and secondly, be at the clinic. But pregnant? He didn't even consider it for a moment. It's not like his father had been a strong male role model growing up. Mac was probably more of a father figure. He didn't know if he was ready to be a father, if he was ready for that responsibility. He and Lindsay had just gotten back on track and this...this was one hell of a bombshell. She hadn't wanted to tell him like that, in the lab locker rooms, straight after puking. Honestly, she hadn't really wanted to tell him at all. Their relationship wasn't exactly the most stable at the moment. She knew they needed to talk, but she was scared. Scared of being abandoned, of him just walking away. This was not what she had planned when she moved to New York.

_He proposed, and she said no - - - _Way to crush a guys ego! He knew it wasn't the most romantic proposal – they were in the street, it was the middle of shift, she was eating a bagel and he was asking her if her family had a history of mental illness...ok, so it was a really bad way to propose! But still, when she said no, he felt like a prize ass, and it just reminded him of all the reasons she had not to trust him. She had only popped out for a quick bagel, not a proposal. She understood why he was doing it, and such a big part of her wanted to say yes, but it wasn't right. He wanted to do right by the baby, which was sweet, but not a reason to get married. Of course, the situation might not have been so bad if they hadn't then had the rest of their shifts to finish. Lindsay suddenly realised how small the lab really was!

_They told each other they loved each other - - - _She wanted, no needed, him to know that her rejection of his proposal was only temporary. She wanted to marry him so badly, but first she had to be sure it was for the right reasons. He understood her reasons, and it made him realise that what they had was forever. And that was the push he needed to finally say those three not-so-little words. His only regret was that he didn't tell her sooner.

_They finally got married - - - _She had to give it to him, that was one hell of a speech he gave. Even though she was tired, stressed and heavily pregnant, she had never felt so happy. And even though her biological family was in Bozeman, she was glad it was Stella and Mac there. Although she never exactly imagined getting married in city hall, when she and Danny said their vows the location and timing didn't matter. All that mattered was that they were in love. He remembered joking with Mac on the case with the dead bride. Who knew that a country girl would be the one who changed his mind, never mind the fact that he would be the one to propose. Twice. As they said their vows he couldn't help but think of the stuff they had gone through – her problems in Montana, his stuff with Louie, her going undercover, their first kiss, their first time... Seeing her face smiling back at him as he slipped the ring on her finger, he didn't think he had ever felt so complete.

_She left for Montana - - - _Some honeymoon. He was thinking of banning her from flying to Montana ever again. At least this time he knew she was returning. However, this time she was heavily pregnant and having some pretty interesting mood swings. Part of him was concerned she would have some crazy hormone rush out there and never come back. O worse, that she would go into labour. She didn't want to leave him (only partly due to the 'urges' she kept experiencing due to her fluctuating hormones, and the fact that Danny was, well, gorgeous). But it was important to her to see her family before the baby came. However, it didn't stop her counting the hours till her flight home.

_Lucy was born - - - _They were a family. All the problems, the delays, the dancing around, it was all worth it. They were finally together and neither of them would change a thing. It was the journey that made them strong.


End file.
